Snacks & Paperbacks

Depression & Other Magic Tricks is the debut book by Sabrina Benaim, one of the most-viewed performance poets of all time, whose poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother" has become a cultural phenomenon with over 5,000,000 views. Depression & Other Magic Tricks explores themes of mental health, love, and family. It is a documentation of struggle and triumph, a celebration of daily life and of living. Benaim's wit, empathy, and gift for language produce a work of endless wonder. Oh how much I wanted to love this book. I mean, I absolutely adored her poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother" and the way she preformed it in that clip. I really felt understood whilst listening to it. I could completely relate to her feelings and how she was experiencing depression. So, having some high hopes of finding someone that understands what it's like and making that pain beautiful with words, I really wanted to love this book.  There were a ...

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. This book, compared to my other reads so far this year, is old. It was first published in 2006, so that makes it about 12 years old. The first time I read this was in 2011 and my goodness, I LOVED ...